428 POLITICAL CAREER, 



that time, however, no one was so constantly found 

 by me in Lord George's room at Harcourt House 

 as Mr Disraeli, and he listened with the greatest 

 semblance of attention to all I had to say about 

 Lord George's horses, and would often accompany 

 Lord George to the stables behind Harcourt House 

 in order to inspect them. In other respects Mr 

 Disraeli seemed to me at this epoch to be greatly 

 inferior to Lord George Bentinck in tact, ability, 

 and address. The subjects of conversation between 

 us were, of course, perfectly familiar to Lord George, 

 and quite the reverse to Mr Disraeli ; but I cannot 

 help adding that to me the contrast between them 

 was very striking. In fact, from what I saw of 

 Mr Disraeli between 1842 and 1848, 1 should never 

 have thought it possible that he was possessed of 

 the remarkable sagacity and ability which he sub- 

 sequently displayed, and with which he was from 

 the first credited by Lord George, as the following 

 letter shows : 



"HARCOURT HOUSE, Zd March 1848. 



" MY DEAR MR CROKER, I have been so busy, 

 sitting long days and six days a week on two 

 committees, that I forgot to write to you. 



" You ask me of Disraeli's manner of speaking 

 and effectiveness in debate. I will answer you by 

 giving my brother Henry's observation on the 

 various speakers in the House. Henry is rather 

 a cynical critic. He expressed himself as greatly 



